MBTA commuter rail riders rankled by surprise surcharge

I first reported two weeks ago about the $3 surcharge — sorry, the MBTA is calling it a “non-discount” — that the T will soon tack on for all commuter rail customers buying tickets on board. That one had gone unnoticed among the scores of changes coming July 1, but it has since struck a nerve with readers and lawmakers.

If you missed it, the T has been trying to cut down on the number of cash transactions on the commuter rail and reduced the number of people riding for free, even inadvertently. That’s laudable, but they’ve been going about it in a way that many see as ham-handed or unfair.